What's your philosophy?

I guess that it speaks to my intelligence 

that I embrace the philosophy of a dog.....

a very specific dog....

a famous one, no less....

that would be..

Snoopy!

He has never failed me....

Even though his owner Charlie Brown 

has his tails of woe (sorry for the pun)

not Snoopy.....

brilliant in all his reactions to life,

this dog is priceless..

He has friends, too.

Like Linus...

I'm with you Linus, ol' pal....

Then there is 

Charlie,

who needs the calm reassurance of his 

canine companion...

Snoopy

fits into any crowd,

regardless of race, religion or breed...

(sorry again)

Snoopy knows his place in the 

grand scheme of things...

On top of his house..

Snoopy is

loyal,

kind,

compassionate,

faithful,

calm in the face of danger,

perhaps, 

he is a 

Boy Scout!

He is also creative...

Ah,

and a leader amongst 

a herd of followers...

A counselor to the troubled....

He is my hero...

Thank you Mr. Schulz,

wherever you are....

smiles

Because it is important.....

Not because it is pleasant to look at...

it is not.

Please read 

this post

 today.


Like I said,


not because it is pleasant,


but 


because it is the right thing to do.


Thank you,


Smiles

You know that feeling...

when you are so happy to have someone in your arms....

and you really don't want to let go?

Well,

that feeling is coming on strong...

In approximately 90 minutes

(not that I'm counting...)

I will get in the car,

drive to he airport,

sit in the "cell phone lot"

(where you wait for your someone to call and say they are ready)

and wait for my sweetie....

Yeah!

Don't get me wrong...

I have not been sitting around 

pining for some company...

or even wishing the days away...

nope,

I've been busy as a bee...

doing the things

 that you simply cannot do

 when there is someone else

in the house.

But now that the 12 days are

coming to a close....

I am ready to see my baby...

sweetie...

honey-pie...

(sweet enough for you?)

The Bradford pear trees out front 

are full of blooms...

The daffodils are past their peak,

the hydrangeas are budding out like crazy.

And

my sweetie is on a plane..

heading south.

smiles.

Did I mention....

that I am

 oh so

 ready for spring?

That I am completely 

tired of snow...

and 

that it is supposed to 

snow here in the next few days?

I want daffodils,

and tulips,

and crocus,

and 

red-bud trees,

and azaleas,

and 

well...

warm weather.

I want to 

sit on the beach with 

sand in my shoes...

I am a 

Carolina Girl at heart...

and 

when March comes around...

my thoughts stray

to the 

Carolina shore.

Some twenty years ago,

I was in a wedding,

as a bridesmaid,

on an island just south of Charleston, SC

the first weekend in March.

The weather was unseasonably warm,

in the 80's....

and we watched porpoises

just off the shore...

It was a magical weekend.

Live Oaks and Spanish Moss...

I am so ready for spring...

smiles

Spring Love!

I love spring weddings!

This image always reminds me

of the nervousness 

that surrounds every wedding day.

Especially those last few minutes

 just before everyone starts down the aisle.

This was a spectacular day.

Bright late afternoon,

low humidity

(which is important here in the south)

The Gentlemen were 

stunningly stylish.

The late afternoon sun

was dipping low in the sky....

long shadows....very dramatic.

B/W images

help set the tone for the drama.

excitement,

nerves,

breathless,

hope.

Weddings

can 

bring a family together,

heal sore feelings,

mend old wounds,

or create new resentments,

break a family in two.

Yet,

if everyone 

spends their energies 

toward the goal of 

celebration of the 

beginning of a 

new family,

well.....

then 

it can be a 

very special moment in time.

smiles.

Been a bit distracted lately...

But I want you to know that I have had

Red Intentions....

What are Red Intentions?

Well...

it goes like this...

I wake on February 1st and think to myself

"I've got to keep my eyeballs on the lookout for

Red"...

Red fabric,

Red paper,

Red flowers,

Red hearts,

Red notebooks,

Red cards,

Red ballons

Red cookies,

RED!

So that I can be oh so creative and make the

perfect Valentine.

Well, after a few years you would think that I would know better...

that I might learn that I get really busy every February

(for reasons unknown)

and Valentines Day creeps up on me.

I cut out the hearts

see?...

I found flowers...

I even thought I might call you on the

Red Bat Phone, see?

Well, it's almost V-day.

And I have been on the receiving end of this day.

Sweetie took me to dinner last night in the fluffy falling snow...

to my favorite dinner establishment

We ate until we could eat no more...

and then he says...

"I have a gift for you and you cannot refuse it"

now that sounded a bit scary.

He goes on the explain that he has been doing some

research, and asked some questions,

and knows that there is something in the

mall, right next door, that I need.

For the life of me,

all I could think of was Tiffany's...

But

really better than that

(if you are a photographer)

The Apple Store.

He had in mind

buying me a new Mac.

Well....

I will tell you this man knows the way

straight to my heart.

We walked over

found a customer service rep,

(even one our age!)

and bought it.

Just like that.

So, today I am distracted.

I am cleaning up my PC,

so that when I take it in tomorrow

for the brain transplant.

(aka; the file transfer)

Those geeks

(and I mean that in the nicest possible way)

won't think I am the slowest, most disorganized dinosaur

on the planet.

I am so excited.....

I have watched all the tutorials on

Apple.com

and

I have gotten all my software together,

so that they can help me.

And I am busily

backing up all my photos to my external HD's.

Did I say I am excited?

So you can see,

I didn't make you that sweet

little red thingy I thought I would,

or write the perfect poem,

but

I want you to know...

that

I am very grateful for your friendship.

It has helped me,

and made me grow,

and given me confidence,

and shown me how special

all of you are....

smiles.

Brrrrr.....

I am rarely cold....

Hot Flashes are de rigueur these days...

Even my sweetie, who has always run hot...is cold...

Only in the last week have I

 started to wear slippers AND socks around the house.

And I have cut a slit in the sleeves of a "felted" wool sweater

that I had sitting on my sewing desk, and have tugged them onto my

forearms in an attempt to keep my

wrists and joints warm.

(Am I sounding pitiful enough yet?)

You would absolutely laugh at me

if you knew what the temperatures were like

here where I live....

in the sunny south....

(head hanging down...)

But I am coping well

(I know you are relieved)

and

I have adopted a routine

that helps.

I make

many

cups of coffee for

me and my sweetie...

I love a good French Press..

which in itself sounds

slightly sexual...

it's not.

Here is what it actually is...

You start with

the carafe, coffee

and hot water.

Simple is good.

Stir it up..

Put the lid on...

Wait...

While waiting...you can prepare your cups....

Once you have waited about 3-5 minutes,

press the plunger down..

and pour out that hot brown goodness..

Add additives as needed..

And enjoy...

warm..

actually, hot...

cradle that mug close and

enjoy the snuggly warmth..

and

feel the little

pick me up that the caffeine

imparts...

smiles.

Oh, yeah...

that is a cozy that I made out of

left overs from Christmas projects..

it keeps my French Press warm.

My word for 2010....

As I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I just

watch what they do.

-Andrew Carnegie

Isn't this good advice?

It has taken me a very long time to learn lessons of life.

I feel like an infant in the realm of human relations, sometimes.

I am exactly what my junior high teacher, Mr Sherrill said in my

yearbook,

"Constantly surprised by life,

and seemingly amused".

You might think,

in my 5th decade of life,

that I would be a bit more savvy.

But no...

I am constantly surprised....

and

amazingly,......still amused.

"Authentic"

is now my chosen work fo the year.

I have noticed that several, of the bloggers

I follow, have chosen words.

So, I thought I would, too.

Authentic: genuine, real.

Yes...

that fits in nicely with my outlook for this

year of 2010...

I want to be authentic in my acts and deeds...

and

I hope to choose my fellow travelers carefully,

by watching their actions,

rather than

their words.

Now...

you may say

"Ellen, how the heck are you going to judge whether

bloggers are authentic?"

Ha!

As those of you who do this daily,

whether reading or writing or simply perusing..

you can tell..

smiles.

Happy Anniversary, Baby!

Betcha By Golly Wow!

There's a spark of magic in your eyes

Candyland appears each time you smile

Never thought that fairy tales came true

But they come true when I'm near you

You're a genie in disguise

Full of wonder and surprise

And betcha by golly, wow

You're the one that I've been waiting for forever

And ever will my love for you keep growin' strong

Keep growin' strong

If I could I'd catch a falling star

To shine on you so I'll know where you are

Order rainbows in your favorite shade

To show I love you, thinking of you

Write your name across the sky

Anything you ask I'll try, `cause

Betcha by golly, wow

You're the one that I've been waiting for forever

And ever will my love for you keep growin' strong

Keep growin' strong

Betcha by golly, wow

You're the one that I've been waiting for forever

And ever will my love for you keep growin' strong

Keep growin' strong

Betcha by golly, wow

You're the one that I've been waiting for forever

And ever will my love for you

(Thom Bell and Linda Creed)

 

Actually,

our anniversary is January 1st....

but I plan to be busy tomorrow,

so this is my opportunity to

let you know how

fortunate I find myself.

 

As some of you know...

my sweetie and I are

"re-treads"

meaning...

we have tried this marriage thing

a time or two...

and well....finally God intervened

and we found each other.

It has been five years.

Doesn't sound like a lot...

but in 50-something years, it is a lifetime.

 

I have never been happier,

and find myself

excited when ever he comes home from being away...

giddy even..

blessed (I know)...

smiles.

 

Listen here..

 

 

BA love...

Funny.

I can't remember what I did yesterday,

but I remember a time when I wore

two of these uniforms...

the striped one...

and the beautiful one after it...

I loved every minute.

smiles.